It is commonly known to add salt (sodium chloride) to foodstuffs to impart a desirable saline flavor note to such foodstuffs. However, certain individuals should, for medical reasons, restrict their intake of sodium. This occurs in the treatment and regulation of congestive heart failure, hypertension, certain types of kidney disease, advanced cirrhosis of the liver and during pregnancy. The typical recommended procedure to restrict intake of sodium is by reduction in or elimination of sodium chloride being employed for flavor purposes. The result is that the foodstuffs have an undesirable bland flavor.
Various compositions have been suggested in the prior art for providing salt substitutes. These are compositions which are free of sodium or have reduced sodium content. These compositions frequently consisted of mixtures of potassium chloride and/or ammonium chloride alone or with materials such as lactose, dextrose and cream of tartar. Mixtures of carboxylic acids have also been suggested. Typical prior art references are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,601,112, 2,742,366, 2,806,793, 2,824,008, 2,829,056, 2,910,369, 2,966,416, 2,968,566, 3,505,082, 3,514,296, Re. 27,981, 3,782,974, 3,782,975 and 3,860,732. These prior art salt substitutes have not been entirely successful for several reasons. First, compositions containing significant amounts of potassium compounds can have their own undesirable medical aspects. Second, the compositions may have undesirable flavor notes in addition to the desirable saline flavor note. It was also known in the prior art that valinamide hydrochloride has a saline flavor. This is disclosed in J. Food Science 29 N. 5, pp. 686-9 (1964). However, this compound has been found to have an undesirable slightly bitter note in addition to being slightly saline.